To help recover from colds and flus, I rely on the curative powers of a never-ending supply of ginger-honey-lemon tea, supplemented with lots of chicken soup, like polentina soup and this spicy tortilla soup. The recipe, which I give all credit to my wife N for developing, was inspired by a different style of tortilla soup that she and I often shared in Washington, D.C., where we both went to college. However, my fondest memory of the original soup goes back to a time before I met N.

One icy winter in the dark years of Bush 41, my mother and brother visited me in D.C. to celebrate Christmas. My Republican mother {please tell me I'm adopted} had never been to the nation's Capital during the holidays, so she was keen to visit the White House to see how Barbara Bush decked the Presidential halls. I remember nothing about the decór except for Mom's declaration that, surely, Nancy's taste was better.

Mostly, I recall standing in line outside the White House for an hour on a night that the mercury dipped so low that the Reflecting Pool {that long rectangular pond between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument} froze solid. My brother was inconsolably irate. If he had his way, he'd never leave the comfort of his EZ-Boy recliner in his San Diego condo, a remote in one hand and a Big Mac in the other {remind me to check DNA samples for evidence of adoption}.

To help thaw relations {literally and figuratively}, I lured the warring parties to Houston's** with promises of hot soup. The chill thankfully kept the usual hordes away, so we were able to be seated the moment we arrived. We slipped into our bowls of velvety tortilla soup as if they were pools of volcanic mud at a Calistoga spa. The garlic-cumin aromatherapy warmed our frostbitten noses, while the avocado and cheese garnishes wrapped around our tongues like thick silk robes. I knew my ploy had achieved détente when my brother ordered a second bowl.

Although N didn't participate in this episode, we shared many bowls of Houston's tortilla soup during the year or so that we dated before moving to the West Coast.

While there is a branch of Houston's in San Francisco, we only go when my brother visits - on his insistence. With exposure to more authentic Mexican food in the Bay Area, I suppose we've outgrown Houston's version of tortilla soup, which in hindsight is basically a gooey platter of nachos tossed into a blender - i.e. pure college comfort food {see their original recipe here}.

Houston's version fortunately inspired N to create a better version, one that is wonderfully spicy, tomatoey and brothy, yet still preserves the voluptuous avocado garnish of the original. Her tortilla soup is the soup we both clamor for when the latest virus strikes. The good news for the cook is it is as easy to throw together as it is satisfying.

________________________________*I have a feeling that Indira's recipe for tomato rasam is soon going to join our arsenal for combating future colds. Just looking at the photos of the soup on her brilliant site Mahanandi rejuvenates me. I plan to make a bowl later today!

If you're ever feeling under the weather or just need a kick-start, try Indira's other cold remedy, "Dried Ginger Ale," a tea steeped with dried ginger, black peppercorns and a touch of honey. I am sipping a hot cup right now. It's so powerful, it will resurrect a Zombie.

**Although I didn't think so at the time, my palate and restaurant
knowledge was pretty simple. Back then I had no idea that Houston's - which
played such a big role in the social scene during my college years - was
merely a branch of a Texas chain.

In a medium pot over medium-low heat, stew the onions in the oil until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and cook a few more minutes.

Add the tortilla strips and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until softened. Add the spices and stir for about a minute. Add the tomato and cook another few minutes. Finally, add the broth and season with salt. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Stir in cooked chicken and garnish each bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Nice, keep the cold remedies flowing. Mine's still kickin around in my head -gotta get it out :) I suppose drinking never helps. But this is a heavy month of friend birthdays. In the words of Ado Annie "I Cain't Say Noooooo..."

I've never been fond of Mexican food - chiefly because I always had the misfortune of only having very bad Mexican food before - so when I was on a date and my date suggested that I have tortilla soup because I had a cold, I thought he was an idiot. I changed my mind when I had the soup. It was absolutely yummy and I felt loads better after that. I did not change my mind about the guy though. LOL.

I will absolutely have to give this a try and soon. I love to make and eat soup and with this horribly cold weather we've been having in nyc - this soup will be delicious! that's cilantro i see in the bowl, right?

hi Brett, what a delight to find your blog too! Judging from the links on your site, it does seem obvious that you´re a fan of Spain and its cuisine. Yes, I´ve been crossing across the border a lot lately so most of my entries have been French-focused. But I have resolved to undo the trend. Voila, one new post on Barcelona fresh off the oven.

I use to wait tables at Houstons and the tortilla soup was a favorite of all our customers. They would wait for 2 hours at lunch just to get a bowl of it. It is the perfect comfort food, although I have not been able to eat it for years...to much of a good thing turns bad sometimes. But I will have to try your recipe and see if its as good as you say. Thanks for the blog, I really enjoy reading it.

sardines defined

sar·dine(n) 1. a young herring or similar small fish.
2. a metaphor for the small and often less well-known ingredients, restaurants, farmers, and artisans that San Francisco-based chef Brett Emerson writes about in this website.